


Somewhere In Time

by Daydreamer



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Romance, Slash, Soulmates, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-08-15 13:17:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8057893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydreamer/pseuds/Daydreamer
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki buys the portrait of a young man and becomes enthralled with him. Its not until he finds himself shot back to 1935 that he realizes he now has a chance to live a life less ordinary.





	Somewhere In Time

Naruto stared at the sign hanging above an antique dealer's shop. The sky gave a great crack and began to let loose on the area. Rain streamed down on him and regardless of his intention to head on down the street to check out some of the more interesting stores, the downpour forced him to take refuge, at least for a while, in the musty store. It was his first outing since moving to the small town in northern California and already the heavens were against him. He'd thought that a change would do him good, give him a fresh start. The offer of the school district came at the perfect time.

He sighed dejectedly with a final annoyed look directed toward the heavens before pushing through the door. A small bell chimed his entrance and he half expected to see some old bat of a woman waiting at the register to greet him. Instead, silence was his only greeting.

"Hello?" he called out into the store upon not seeing anyone about. "Anyone here?"

Shrugging his shoulders and brushing the excess water from his arms and hair, he moved deeper into the store. Curious blue eyes darted back and forth over everything from antique bicycles to rusty farm equipment. Several heirloom dressers and even a wrought iron bed were displayed. It was quite the interesting collections of what many might say was junk. Some of the pieces were obviously well cared for, judging from the price tags dangling from them while others could only be described as worthless. He moved deeper into the store, attempting to make rhyme or reason out of the set up. A few hand sewn dolls were settled around a small child's tea set and several wind chimes hung silent above them. He ran a hand over an old Coca-Cola cooler, looking inside to see old records from every age stacked for viewing and a record player on display beside it. It vaguely brought back the memories of his parents dancing to records they owned before the fire took them both and everything they owned, leaving Naruto alone in the world except for a perverted grandfather who was more interested in Playboy magazine centerfolds than spending time with his mourning grandson.

It was one reason Naruto never settled down. His grandfather was a sort of gypsy and Naruto was forced to tag along for he ride. It was a wonder he came out as good as he did considering everything. At least Jiraiya was smart enough to ensure Naruto always attended school. They might only live in a town for six months, but Naruto was always there.

As he walked down one of the cluttered isles, he passed by several boxes of cast iron cookware. His foot caught on the box and caused him to stumble forward and nearly plow head first into a portrait of a young man hanging on the wall. Dust clung to the ornate wooden frame and the glass protection was smudged and stained from the years. Still…the man staring blandly outward was amazing. Even with the black and white coloring, he appeared as if he was staring directly into Naruto's soul.

Licking his lips, he extended his hand to brush against the smooth cheek when a small cough sounded behind him. He turned on his heel and his rain slick shoes slipped out from beneath him, sending him crashing to the floor and into the previously ignored stacked boxes of records.

"Ouch…shit!" Naruto rubbed his rear with one hand. "That hurt."

A raspy chuckle rumbled from the elderly man standing before him. He stood stooped, leaning heavily on a cane, dressed in neatly pressed brown slacks and a button-down shirt. Intense dark eyes were framed by a wrinkled and weathered face and arthritic hands clenched tightly on the rubber handle of a cane. A strange, unidentifiable expression ghosted across the man's face before it was hidden just as quickly as it came and something sparked inside Naruto. He couldn't place the feeling, but it felt...right, as if things were finally clicking into place as they were meant to.

"You should pay more attention to your surroundings." Wrinkled lips twisted up in a resemblance of a smirk and the thick black cane he leaned on was extended to poke at Naruto's shoulder. "Some say it might be the sign of idiocy."

Naruto flushed red and mumbled under his breath. "Bastard old coot."

"Ignorant whippersnapper," shot back the old man with surprising quickness.

"What?" Naruto blinked owlishly at him. "What the hell is a whippersnapper anyway? Really showing your age with that one, grandpa."

A gravely bark of laughter erupted from wrinkled lips. "And you're showing your age by back talking to your elders."

Even laughing at him, it wasn't hard for Naruto to see the softening in the dark eyes. A light seemed to grow in the dark orbs and for a moment his breath caught in his throat. His eyes, even dulled with age, were stunning to behold. There was a fleeting ache in his chest that faded almost instantly but still left a mark in his stomach. He pushed aside the strange sensation and scrambled to his feet, his shoes making squeaking sounds on the aged linoleum.

"So uhh, you own this place?"

The old man grunted. "For many years."

"I guess it's kinda cool." Damn him and the politeness his mother had tried so desperately to instill in him before her death.

A small laugh rumbled from the man's chest. "Liar."

Naruto poked out his lower lip and scowled. That was the last time he'd try to be nice to cantankerous old goats. "Well...the rain's probably let up by now. I'll be going."

"I saw you looking at that picture." Intelligent dark eyes turned to the picture and a shimmer of reminiscence and happiness spread across his features.

And relief. For a moment, Naruto was sure he saw relief flicker in the mans eyes before it was shadowed once more.

Naruto's gaze shot to the picture and then to the gray haired man. Their eyes were similar, perhaps a relative. "Who is he?"

"Sasuke Uchiha. His parents were immigrants from Japan during the building of the railroads in the late eighteen hundreds. His father was quite the intelligent man and invested what money he and his wife saved thoughtfully. Their choices ensured that their children would live comfortably for most of their lives."

"What happened to him?" asked Naruto out of curiosity.

The old man's eyes took on an equally sad and slightly mysteriously look. "He fell in love."

"What's so special about that?"

The old man leaned heavily on his cane while looking so deeply into Naruto's eyes that he was sure he was seeing into his very soul. Never had anyone looked so deeply and intently at him. He felt to be measured by those eyes that didn't look quite as old as the withered body possessing them. "Spoken like someone who has not experienced such a state."

Naruto shrugged. "Just haven't found the right person."

"At the time, it was a risqué relationship. The mid 1930s was a strange time. War was a hair breath away and the Depression was still a painful ache that the nation was barely recovering from. That his relationship lasted so long was pretty remarkable. It lasted through internment during the Great War and many trials and tribulations afterward." Both sets of eyes moved towards the photograph.

"You knew him well?" asked Naruto breathlessly.

The only answer he received was a small grunt from the elderly shopkeeper. The man stepped closer to Naruto and extended a hand to place on his shoulder. It was a familiar touch, yet he strangely enough, he didn't mind it. Again he felt that sense of rightness come over him. An almost ache began in his chest when the hand was removed. Only when he looked at the portrait again did the ache subside.

Naruto couldn't pry his gaze from the framed photograph. Now that the man had a name and a story, he was even more drawn to him. Normally antiques weren't his thing, but he suddenly had to have the picture. He couldn't believe the words coming from his lips. "How much for it?"

A gray brow lifted and arthritic hands clenched on the black can they held. "Five hundred dollars."

Naruto's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. That would clean out what little savings he had squirreled away in the bank. "What the hell, old man? Five hundred bucks for a dusty old picture in a frame that looks like it might fall apart at any given moment. That's too much."

Eyes smirked at Naruto, as if privy to a joke only he knew. "That's the least I can sell it for. You'll thank me for this one day."

Giving a little whine, Naruto glanced desperately at the photograph. His thrumming heart really wanted the picture enough to tie up his stomach in a plethora of knots. "But it's all dirty and grimy."

"You don't want it?"

Another whine followed and then the slumping of shoulders. There went that new laptop he'd had his eye on. "Do you accept checks?"

Lips lifted in a smirk. "We do today."

"I know I'm going to regret this," Naruto muttered as the old man moved to take the picture down from the wall display and hand it to him.

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto stepped from the store with a large package under his arm and a serious depletion in his wallet. It had taken him forever to save that much money. With the economy in the toilet, hording away extra cash was nearly impossible. He had planned on putting his small savings towards a new computer, but instead now had a brand new, old picture in a dusty frame.

Why had he bought the thing? The guy, Sasuke, was long dead and if he was still alive, he'd have to be in his nineties or older. Buying the photograph wasn't giving him the rights to the man. Some part of him wanted and demanded he have the picture and when that part of him spoke up, he could never deny it. "Damn it all!"

Impulse buys were the worst. Now he was stuck with an old picture, an empty bank account, and a half dead computer. Where was his sense of control? The only way to repair this damage would be a diet of ramen noodle blocks for the next six months. At least he liked them and they possessed enough of a variety in flavor to keep him from growing too bored with the taste. Hopefully, he wouldn't die from the overload of sodium to his system.

A small whine escaped his throat. Whatever his mind was doing today, his new picture meant his shopping was finished. A quick glance towards the heavens shown a bright and nearly cloudless day. The fates obviously had it out for him today.

As he trudged into his small, sparsely furnished apartment, Naruto immediate pulled out the furniture polish and an old rag. He tugged the back from the frame and pulled the picture from inside so he could clean in all the spaces without damaging the slightly cracked and aged photograph. He could not resist running a single finger over the prominent cheekbones and down to the thin lips. His heart throbbed in his chest as if seeing a long lost lover for the first time in ages. He felt as if he was born at the wrong time. The sensation was so poignant, he lifted his hand to his chest and closed his eyes against the sudden wash of loneliness mixed largely with longing.

His heart was bursting in his chest. Tears unknowingly misted his eyes and a small slightly garbled cry escaped his lips. An ache spread through him, building upon itself so to nearly drive him to his knees. If not for his grip on the counter, he was certain he would have hit the floor from the sudden and unexpected sensation of emptiness that engulfed him. It was unlike anything he had ever felt and left him with a hollow feeling of loss. Not even the death of his grandfather or even his parents had left such a cavern inside him.

What was this feeling? He felt as if he was dying. He couldn't be having a heart attack at twenty-six. The minutes ticked by slowly. Eventually, the feeling passed with a slow ebbing. Even with the intensity of the emotions racing through him fading, it still felt as if a piece of his very soul had winked out and he was left alone in the world. That feeling of emptiness never completely faded and created a cold sensation inside. It wasn't a physical ache or anything he could rightly put his finger on. It simply was there.

The thick lump in his throat faded and despite the new empty ache in his chest, he focused once more on cleaning the frame. As the edges of the frame were renewed, a small folded, yellowed bit of paper tumbled to the ground, having been tucked into the crease of the frame. It fluttered across the flooring, not halting until it lay at Naruto's feet. How long had it been behind that picture? Obviously for some time judging from the shape of the paper.

He lowered his hand and plucked the yellowed parchment from the floor. It was folded several times, making him careful as he unwrapped it like a present. His heart stuttered in his chest at the words.

_I love you. Stay with me._

Naruto blinked at the words scrawled across the yellowed paper. They were barely legible with age, yet he couldn't stop himself from running his fingers across the elegant script. Whomever this man had loved must have been a lucky girl. He almost wished the letter was meant for him.

Behind all his bluster and jokes, Naruto was a romantic at heart. Some men might consider that a weakness, but he had always thought it was a sign of strength to be willing to publicly acknowledge love for another person and not be ashamed to display it. There was no shame in showing a gentler and more romantic side.

Sniffing, he suddenly felt a longing. Hearing of the romances concerning others only caused his heart to throb painfully. Dating was almost painful lately. It was like his soul was already marked and his soul mate was out of town. The worst problem was he didn't know who said soul mate was. Not that he believed in such fantasies. There was only so much one could trust in after a lifetime as a nomad.

There was nothing to do about it. He firmly believed that his emotions were running amuck with him because of his money troubles and the recent move. In a few weeks he would be back to his naturally jovial self.

His fingers dipped into the grooves of the frame with the polish coated rag. The attention paid off and soon the wood gleamed with a renewed glow. After the glass was cleaned and the portrait replaced, the image looked as it must have upon the day it was first hung in its owner's home or some close semblance to it.

"Sasuke Uchiha…you are one sexy devil." Naruto sighed. He was obsessing over a dead man. His heart gave a thump just gazing at the picture. "Just my luck that I would fall for someone who lived in the thirties."

Shaking his head, he hung the picture above the mantle and stared at it. He could almost feel the eyes staring back at him. Sasuke felt real to him, more real than anything he had ever experienced. The tangible force of his gaze was such that the hairs on his neck and arms stood at attention. It was tempting to hide that gaze by packing away the picture.

"Fuck that. I just spent five hundred bucks on you. Just…stop looking at me all the time, damn it." Naruto paused and rubbed a hand over his head. "And now you don't just talk to yourself, you talk to a photograph of a long dead man. Great."

Turning one last look to the portrait, Naruto sighed. "Night, Sasuke."

oOo

Naruto sat eating breakfast and flipping through the local paper on Monday, two days after the strange episode. He still felt out of sorts, like something was missing but couldn't quite place his finger on what. He sighed and took a long drag on his coffee. He refused to dwell on it and immediately turned his attention to the print in front of him.

Normally, he skipped to the sports and comics but today, the headlines on one of the back pages drew his attention. They drew it so fully that he nearly choked on the toast he had just bitten into.

_Elderly Antique Shop Owner Passes Away At Age Ninety-Eight._

_Owner of antique business, A Glimpse To The Past, Sasuke Uchiha, was found deceased in a small storage room located in the back of his antique store on Sunday morning by his part time shop assistant. Mr. Uchiha, ninety-eight, ran a shop in the same place for over sixty years with his long time partner._

_Since the opening of the shop in nineteen forty-six, Mr. Uchiha and his partner, N. Uchiha, always hosted holiday themed events and were a welcoming business for all the locals and their families. The children were quite fond of the late shopkeepers, always showing up on Halloween and Christmas for gifts of candy and toys. With the death of N. Uchiha last year, locals feared the shop would close its doors. The shop was a landmark to the community and both Mr. Uchihas will be missed as an end of an era has come to pass._

The remainder of the article detailed the good works Sasuke Uchiha and his partner had done throughout their lives. The shop was initially opened as a general store, but with the popularity of bargain grocery stores popping up in the eighties and nineties, they transformed the building into an antique shop while still maintaining the welcoming atmosphere.

Naruto found this odd because his memory of the shop was that it was cluttered and slightly dusty. It didn't look as if it was the magical place depicted by the author of the short, glowing article. Then again, Naruto had only recently moved to the area in the last two months to accept a pittance of a job as a school teacher. And most of that time was spent at the school, preparing for the beginning of the new year. The previous Saturday was his first real exploit into the community.

"You old bastard!" snapped Naruto at the picture of the elderly Sasuke Uchiha depicted in the paper. "You fucking sold me a picture of yourself for five hundred bucks! Then, you had to go and croak. What an asshole."

He threw the newspaper across the kitchen table and glared at his now cold breakfast. Tears pricked his eyes, which he swiped away quickly. His heart ached with that strange pain squeezing the muscle similar to the feeling he experienced previously. It didn't have the near physical ache, but it still held enough poignancy to bring wetness to his eyes. He didn't even know the man, and here he was mourning his loss.

"Why am I crying?" he whispered and sent a glare towards the framed photograph hanging on his wall. "It's your fault."

Wiping at the tears misting his eyes, he stood and walked determinedly from the house. His first day of class was today. He would throw himself into teaching and forget about Sasuke Uchiha's piercing eyes and new sorrow eating away at him.

Keeping his mind from Sasuke only caused him to focus on him all the more. Throughout the torturous first day teaching fifth graders, any moment he wasn't dealing with rambunctious preteens, he was thinking about Sasuke. The old man and the young image displayed in his home were warring forces merging together in his mind.

What would the chances be that his soul mate had been born over seventy years before him? The fates were probably laughing their asses off and against his will, his hand lifted to rub at the painful contracting in his chest. He was just being fanciful, but still, a stranger's death shouldn't be bothering him this much.

"Mr. Uzumaki?"

Naruto jerked his gaze from the window beside his desk to the young boy standing in front of him. "What is it, Konohamaru?"

"Did you hear that Mr. Uchiha died?"

Hearing the name, he gaped at the boy for several seconds. Was the kid a psychic? Could he hear the thoughts rumbling around in his head? "I read about it in the paper."

"I liked him…I liked Mr. Naru too."

"Mr. Naru?" Naruto frowned at the name. Was he the mysterious partner mentioned in the paper? Was it a coincidence that their names were similar?

"He died too. He was nice. He kept candy for kids." Konohamaru sniffed, his eyes watering a bit. "He was like my grandpa."

"Konohamaru, your classmates are waiting for you." Kurenai Yuhi walked through the door and smiled at the boy. "Why don't you go play with them and let Mr. Uzumaki have a few minutes break."

"Yes, Ms. Yuhi," mumbled Konohamaru as he scampered past her.

"Ms. Yuhi." Naruto stood from his desk to greet his fellow teacher. "A pleasure to meet you again."

Kurenai smiled and accepted his hand. "Don't mind Konohamaru. A lot of the kids are mourning today."

"I noticed that most of the kids seemed a little…quiet, compared to what I expected from them," murmured Naruto as he took his seat once more. "Was that old guy really that popular?"

Kurenai smiled and nodded. "Mr. Sasuke and Mr. Naru were staples in the community since the thirties. The kids loved them…and then those kids grew up to have kids, and their kids loved them. When the Wal-mart was opened across town in the eighties, a lot of the locals were worried. There was no way to compete with the prices and selection. We thought the two might retire, but they just shifted their views. It was Mr. Naru's idea to open an antique shop. He never threw anything away, so I've been told. It nearly broke Mr. Sasuke when his partner died."

Naruto's heart fluttered in his chest. "What happened to him."

Kurenai shrugged her shoulders. "It was just his time. He hid his decline well, and thankfully, his passing was quick. Everyone expected Sasuke to follow immediately, but he continued to open the store every morning like clockwork. Holidays weren't the same, but he tried. We could all see that this past Christmas was agonizing for him. Christmas was always Naru's favorite. But, I know he hung around only by force of will. Most of the adults in town would stop by to see him in shifts, you know, to make sure he had food to eat and help around the house. I saw him a few weeks ago and...well, I suppose it felt as if he were waiting for someone and that he couldn't rest until he found that person. Whatever the case, I knew he was tired."

She wiped at a tear. "Well, they're together now. As it should be."

Naruto rocked back in his chair and turned his gaze out to the playground were several children laughed and pushed each other on the swing set. "I wish I could have known them."

"They were the last of a generation…a different time in the world, but I always got the feeling Mr. Naru knew things. They couldn't have made much with the store, but they always had the funds to give out toys to every child who came by the store on Christmas Eve. Struggling families always had food delivered to them and the school always had new books in the library and plenty of texts for every child. They will both certainly be missed. This town was better for their presence and you'll never hear a single person speak ill of them and their relationship." Kurenai had a misting of tears in her eyes as she spoke to Naruto. Her hand darted up to brush a her eyes with manicured nails once more before standing. "Have a good afternoon, Mr. Uzumaki."

Her words might have only been meant to be informative, but they gave Naruto much to think on over the course of the remainder of the day. His thoughts kept drifting to Sasuke. The memory of the old man and the photograph of him in his youth were constantly swirling in his mind. It shouldn't bother him, but for some reason, it did. And fuck if he wasn't jealous of that Naru dude.

"Fuck me...I'm so messed up," he grumbled before turning his focus toward his lesson plan for the next few weeks.

As he walked home from the school, his eyes drifted towards the overcast sky. "Please don't let it rain until I get home," he pleaded. "I need at least a little bit of good luck today."

Of course, like the rest of this day, the fates were against him. The sky seemed to open up and pour down on him with the full force of its fury. There were no shops to duck into, only residential areas littered with trees and him with no umbrella. It gave him no choice but to start jogging towards his home when suddenly the sight of dozens of flowers littering the sidewalk halted his way and drew his curiosity.

He glanced at the old turn of the century house seated at the top of a small hill and then down to the small arrangements left in memorial. "No way."

He lifted a water soaked card and through the smeared ink he could make out the words printed in neat lettering. _We will miss you, Mr. Sasuke._

"Jeez…old man…why are you haunting me?" complained Naruto as he lowered the small card back to the wall of flowers.

Just as he turned to move on down his road, a flash of lightning struck the tree planted directly beside the walk. The flash was followed by a loud cracking and then pain radiated up his head. As darkness peaked along his senses, he thought it was a shame that he had to die without anyone left to mourn him as they did Sasuke Uchiha.

"What the hell are you doing out in a storm like this, idiot?"

Naruto groaned and felt hands probing his skull. He groaned again loudly as the fingers pressed into a particularly tender bit of his scalp. It caused spots to dance behind his closed eyelids and brain to go numb.

"You must have hit your head when you fell." An arm worked under his arms and forced him to his feet.

Instantly, the change in position had him doubled over and vomiting what little he had in his stomach onto the drenched grass. His vision swam and if not for the strong arms cradling him, he would have likely fallen forward into his own puke. A whine escaped his throat. He felt as if he was dying.

"Stop being a baby," grumbled the rich baritone. "I'm going to lead you up to the house. Just work with me and we'll get you dry and send for a doctor."

"No, doctor," mumbled Naruto. "I'm broke…stupid old man."

"Don't worry. The doctor is my brother. He'll check you out."

Naruto nodded shakily, water pouring over his brow and into his eyes. The storm seemed to have lessened, but the rain still pounded down on them as they made their way up the grassy knoll towards the waiting door.

His body continued to shiver and shake as he was half dragged towards two wing back chairs placed before a crackling fire. The lighting was dim, and old thirties music played scratchily from a large radio placed in the corner. If Naruto had been in his right mind, he would have commented on the retro feel of the place, but instead all he could do was slump wearily into the chair and close his eyes against the pain shooting through his pounding skull.

A plush towel was draped over his head and a knitted blanket placed over his hips. He groaned and continued to shiver at the cold eating so deeply into his bones, he was certain he would never feel warm again. His teeth chattered against each other and even the dim light coming from a small lamp was producing enough light to increase the painful throbbing.

"You're freezing."

Naruto attempted to crack open an eye but the pain was too much. "No…shit…Sherlock."

"You must have hit your head harder than I thought," commented the rich voice.

Naruto groaned and refrained from comment. It didn't matter how hard he hit his head, only that it was now throbbing with the force of a hundred stampeding horses. "Just…give me…some Tylenol."

"Some what?"

Naruto cracked open an eye and stared at the fuzzy figure beside his chair. "Tylenol…you know…ibuprofen."

"Is that some sort of liquor brand? I don't keep spirits in the house except for an occasional bottle of wine."

"Don't know…are you an idiot?" Naruto squinted his eyes closed and brought a hand to his head. He probed the large knot forming along with the sticky feel of blood oozing from a cut.

"Idiot? You're the idiot for walking around in the middle of a lightning and thunderstorm…and on my property."

"Your property?" Naruto's clenched eyes shot open and he glare as the dark figure came into more definition. "Since went do you own the sidewalk?"

"I'm calling Itachi. You're worse off than I thought if you think where you were walking had anything to do with a sidewalk."

Naruto watched the figure walk towards a hanging phone on the wall. His hand lifted and he began to wind the small handle on the side with more force than was probably necessary. "The fuck?"

He was pretty damn sure that phones shouldn't require winding, even retro designed ones. His eyes traced down the back of the soaked man as he proceeded to undress his drenched white shirt to reveal a sleeveless white undershirt tucked into black trousers. His shoulders were broad and angled into narrow hips and long legs. Wet, black hair fell over his ears and the nape of his neck. He couldn't see a face, but if it was anything like the body displayed for him, it would be gorgeous.

"Itachi…I found an idiot lying hurt a short ways from the house. Could you come check him out?" The man turned to glance at Naruto while holding the metal earphone to his ear, showcasing an all too familiar face.

Naruto's eyes nearly popped from his skull. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke's brows shot into his water soaked bangs and his lips turned down in a frown. "Sorry Itachi…yes…he won't die in the time it takes for you to get here. Be careful driving in the storm."

Sasuke placed the small cylindrical ear piece back on its hook and turned from the mouthpiece back to stare at Naruto. "Have we met?"

Naruto's lips parted and he gaped like a fish at Sasuke. No. This couldn't be Sasuke. That was impossible. Sasuke was an old man and very much dead. This was not Sasuke. It had to be some plotted joke by an old, mostly senile man.

"Bull shit…what's the gag?" Naruto was on his feet, instantly regretting the action as pain shot through his skull, causing nausea to rise in his throat once more with its foul tasting bile.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke immediately prowled forward and gave a firm push to Naruto's shoulder, forcing him to sit once more in the chair.

Sasuke knelt beside him and immediately pulled at his shoes, pausing at seeing the sneakers. "What manner of shoe is this?"

Naruto grumbled low in his throat. "It's Nike and stop acting like you don't know anything. That old geezer set you up to this, didn't he? What's your real name because I know for a fact that Sasuke Uchiha is something like a hundred years old and dead as a fucking doornail."

Sasuke's face turned furious and his hands shot to grip at the armrests of the chair. "I most certainly am not a hundred and I'm definitely not dead."

"You're a liar…one last joke from that old shit face." Naruto pushed Sasuke aside and stood. "I'm going home."

His steps weaved back and forth and the door he had entered seemed to grow further and further from him. An eternity seemed to pass before he reached the wooden door and turned the iron knob. As the door was pulled open, he was face to face with another rain soaked man dressed in a dark trench coat and black fedora.

"Ah…you must be my patient? You should probably sit down before you fall down."

Sasuke stepped forward and accepted the doctor's coat and hat. "This man is a mess in the head. He's been practically insane since I called you, Itachi."

Itachi arched a brow and took Naruto by the hand guiding him to sit by the fire once more. His fingers wrapped around a suddenly limp wrist and he extracted a watch attached to a chain from his waistcoat pocket.

"His pulse is a little rapid." He lifted his fingers to probe the bulging knot and subsequent cut on Naruto's head. "And he's got a bit of a nasty cut but it shouldn't need stitching, just a good cleaning."

Naruto gave a small yelp and attempted to pull away from the touch. "That hurts!"

"Stop whining," snapped Sasuke. "He's doing this for free…which is more than you vagrants deserve."

"Who's a vagrant, you arrogant asshole?" growled Naruto. "You probably whacked me across the head to put your plan into action."

"I did no such thing," Sasuke rolled his eyes and glanced at his brother. "Well?"

"Sasuke, could you get Mr.—" Itachi looked down at Naruto.

"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki," answered Naruto at the prompt.

Itachi smiled and glanced at Sasuke. "—Mr. Uzumaki a glass of water."

While Sasuke moved reluctantly towards the kitchen, Itachi rifled through his black leather bag and extracted a small bottle of white pills. He displayed the container for Naruto. "Aspirin. I could give you something stronger, but I don't want you to sleep heavily. You have a concussion and sleeping too deeply could send you into a coma."

Naruto mumbled under his breath and accepted the pills and water. He downed them quickly and heaved a long suffering sigh. It hurt too much to fight with the men. Accepting their treatment of him was his only option at this point.

"Can you take him to that vagrant camp outside of town? It's probably where his people are," Sasuke asked.

Itachi looked over Naruto. "His hair is clean other than the obvious mud from his fall. His clothes look new and clean as well. I don't think he's from the vagrants and I'm not sure he should be moving around so soon after a head injury."

A mischievous smirk quirked a corner of Itachi's face. "Why not keep him in your guest bedroom? I'll come by tomorrow and check on him."

"Why should I keep him?" snapped Sasuke. "It's not my fault he was an idiot for walking through the area in a storm. You keep him."

Itachi arched a brow at his brother and smirked. "You found him and brought him into your home. It's only appropriate that you care for him until he is healed enough to be on his way. It's what Mother would have done."

Sasuke's jaw clenched and he glared daggers at his brother's back. "Fine."

"I'll be back tomorrow to check in on you, Naruto. Sasuke, make sure you check on him every couple of hours." Itachi slipped into his overcoat and placed his fedora atop his head. With a slight salute, he was gone.

Sasuke stared at Naruto as if he was a piece of trash. "Fine. Follow me. I'll show you to the bedroom."

Naruto glanced at the warm fire. He was only now beginning to feel warm and that bastard wanted him to move? Groaning under his breath, he rose to his feet, too tired to fight. He would sort things out tomorrow when his head wasn't hurting so bad.

Sasuke escorted him down a long cool hall and into a small, tidy room. The wrought iron bed was covered in a pastel spread and on top, another knitted blanket.

Naruto arched a brow. "Like to knit, do you?"

Sasuke's pouting look morphed into a glare. "My mother made those so show some respect."

Naruto raised his hands in supplication as Sasuke took several more blankets from the closet and tossed them across the hope chest placed at the foot of the bed. "I'll be back to check on you later."

Naruto attempted to nod but the movement only caused his head to throb. A small grunt was enough of an acknowledgement. He watched Sasuke give a curt nod and close the door with a small snap.

Groaning, he stripped his clothes and left them in a pile on the floor beside his muddy and rain soaked shoes. Wearing nothing but his boxers, he climbed into bed and groaned again at the feel of the cool sheets enveloping his body. He pulled more blankets over him and gradually the chilled feeling left.

He didn't want to sleep. He wanted to go home. If not for the exhaustion and pain tugging at him, he would be out of the drafty house and heading towards his small apartment. In the morning, he would wake up and everything would be normal. He would be in his bed, curled up with his orange pillows. Tomorrow, everything would be right.

oOo

Light filtering across his face had Naruto tugging the soft down filled pillow over his head and groaning. He didn't want to get out of bed. His head still throbbed and his mouth felt as if something had crawled inside and died.

What he needed was a shower, a shave, and a toothbrush followed by a hot breakfast. Running a hand over the faint stubble he felt growing over his cheek , memories of the previous night swirled through his head and he shot up in bed to gape at his surroundings. The nightmare was still in full swing.

This was not his bedroom and the soft pillow gripped in his fist was definitely not the firm orange cased pillow he was used to. The light, slightly feminine tone of the room was most definitely not in Naruto's taste pallet. Last night hadn't been a dream.

"Where the hell am I?"

"In my home," growled Sasuke in the now familiar baritone.

Naruto swallowed and stared at the man standing before him in a white shirt rolled to his elbows and comfortable fitted denim trousers. His hair, not soaked, was brushed in a slightly spiked style with bangs framing his aristocratic features. On his nose perched round glasses, creating a sort of intelligent attractiveness.

"I dried your clothes by the fire last night." Sasuke nodded to the folded trousers and shirt placed on the single chair in the room.

Naruto slipped the covers from the bed and immediately jerked his gaze to Sasuke. Dark eyes were staring at his practically nude figure, causing a blush to spread across his cheeks. He jerked the sheet to hide his orange boxers like a virgin teenager, a flush of red creeping up his cheeks. "Do you have a bathroom?"

Sasuke blinked several times before gesturing to the door across the hall. "There."

Immediately, Sasuke turned on his heel and stormed down the hall without another word. His foot steps, quick and determined, echoed down the hall before disappearing around a corner.

Wanting to be out of this weirdness as quickly as possible, Naruto darted for the bathroom and froze at what he saw. The tub was a large claw foot monstrosity of white. The toilet wasn't much better, looking a far cry from his own with its wooden seat and pull string flusher. This did not look like what a bathroom should despite the usual amenities being present. "What the fuck is going on?"

The towel laid out on the rim of the basin shaped sink had a small shaving cup together with a shaving brush and straight edged razor like something out of the movies. His breath started panting in and out; and ignoring the toiletries, he raced back to his room and dressed more quickly than he ever had in his life. He had to get out of this place before he ended up sucked into whatever insane joke this was. Enough was enough.

His pulse thrummed loudly in his skull as he raced past Sasuke, who was standing in the kitchen. He ignored the shout and continued running. The need to run was far greater than the need to question. If he stopped running, he felt the world would come crashing down around him. The throbbing in his blood only caused the pain in his head to intensify, still he ran. He would run to town and then deal things.

He raced down the muddy drive, not caring that his sneakers became caked in black mud. The slick mud caused him to slide and nearly fall in his haste. Somehow, he kept his balance and ended up at the end of the drive, only there was no sidewalk or paved road. Only more mud on the roads, off set with gravel. His breathing became ragged as a horse drawn trailer was driven past him, the driver throwing up a hand in acknowledgement.

"What the fuck is going on?" he shouted as the horse and driver continued on down the rut marked road.

"Hey!"

Naruto's eyes jerked to see Sasuke coming down the hill after him. He couldn't deal with this. It had to be a delusion of some sorts. He was trapped in a delusion or some psychotic break. The best thing he could do was find something familiar and latch onto it. The knock to his head was warping his mind.

"It's just a dream," he panted as he ran in the direction he was certain the town was located. "It's just a dream."

His shoes were caked with mud by the time he reached the town, only it was not what he hoped. The few vehicles parked outside of several of the establishments looked more appropriate for a car show than for standard use. If not for their muddy exterior and well used appearance, he might have thought they were on display for a show. There was not a single sports car or SUV in the bunch.

The women walking down the side walks were dressed in a mixture of styles. Some wore loose, ill fitting dresses made of muslin or feed sacks while a select few were garbed in form fitting dresses ending just below their knees and topped with florally designed hats. The men were dressed in work overalls and denim or suits and fedoras.

This was not home. He didn't know where this was, but this was not his home. The shape of some of the buildings was vaguely familiar, but definitely not the street he had passed by the previous day on his short walk to the nearby school. It was like something weird out of the Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits.

A sudden faintness overcame him. His heart pounded in his ears and his vision grew hazy. The adrenaline of his sprint from Sasuke's house was now enacting its revenge on him.

It started inside the pit of his stomach and began to radiate outward. His chest contracted and his breath began panting far faster than was normal. Black spots started to dance in his eyes, eventually leading towards tunnel vision. The ground seemed to open up beneath him and swallow him whole, leaving only darkness around him.

And he welcomed it. In the darkness, he didn't have to worry about thinking or feeling. It was absolute protection from this nightmare he awoke in.

oOo

"How is he?"

Naruto heard the voice through the haze of darkness. He reached desperately for it, using the voice to drag him through the blackness to the surface. With that voice, he would shed the black abyss swirling around him and come into the light.

"He had a panic attack. I was just coming out of my office when I saw him collapse in the street. That's twice he's been face down in the mud. You've real skill, little brother."

Sasuke rubbed his brow. "He's trouble. You should have left him sleeping on the street."

"Hey," croaked Naruto through a dry throat. "That's not a nice thought. How would you like to be left lying face down in the road? And a muddy road at that."

"You're awake." Sasuke gave his brother a deadpanned look. "Check him over and take him to the camp. I don't want to deal with his nonsense."

Itachi smirked and shook his head. "I had my assistant check out the camp. No one is missing a blue eyed, blond haired young man in his twenties. It looks like he's all yours."

Sasuke's jaw spasmed with his fight to keep his irritation in check. "He's not staying here."

"Don't look at me. You told me you were thinking about hiring a handyman to help out with the produce. It looks to me that you've had one land in your lap." Itachi chuckled at Sasuke's pout and moved to examine Naruto's head. "That bump looks to be receding and the cut is healing. He should be capable to light work tomorrow."

Naruto hissed at the probing fingers. "Could you not do that?"

"Apologies," chuckled Itachi. "You should take it easy for the remainder of the afternoon. Your body has had quite enough excitement for one day."

Naruto heaved a sigh and leaned against the fluffed pillows behind him. His gaze scanned the room, finding himself once more in the pastel room. The midday light filtered through lace curtains and across the bed. Not only was he trapped in this nightmare, he was forced to lay in essentially a girl's room.

Itachi gathered up his equipment and black leather bag. He sent an amused smirk to Naruto and breezed past his brother towards the front of the house.

"His shoes are pretty gone. Whoever crafted them didn't intend for them to be used in transversing muddy streets. You should see if he can wear some of your work shoes," commented Itachi to Sasuke as he walked to the door. "You know, little brother, now that Mother has finally passed on, you can start living again."

"I'm living just fine," snapped Sasuke.

Itachi shrugged and placed his hat on his head at a jaunty angle. "Just a suggestion. Don't let her death drag you down. This could be a good thing."

"I won't hold my breath."

Sasuke closed the door behind his brother and returned to Naruto. "I'll bring you some lunch."

With no other words, Sasuke gripped the knob in his hand and closed it behind him. The resounding click caused Naruto to flinch. He was left laying in the bed staring at the closed door. "This is not a dream…it's a nightmare," he groaned.

His eyes continued to stare up towards the ceiling. The cream colored panel squares offered him a moments respite as he counted the ones in the room. It only occupied his mind for a moment and then once more he was fixated on his situation. He needed something to occupy his mind until he was able to figure out what was going on. His world seemed turned on its ear and he wanted to know why.

His eyes lighted on a small basket of yarn and a half knitted blanket lay beside a delicate rocking chair. Naruto gave a small shudder. "I am not taking up knitting."

"I didn't expect you to," commented Sasuke dryly. He strode into the room with a tray. A small bowl of soup and a ham sandwich were accompanied by a glass of thick milk. "Itachi said you shouldn't eat anything too heavy right away."

Naruto's stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him how long it had been since he had eaten. At this point, he would have been happy to be brought a box of saltine crackers. He accepted the tray and immediately set into the soup. It was a bit on the salty side but otherwise delicious. The ham sandwich tasted better than any he had ever eaten and the milk was thick and rich. He nearly groaned in bliss at the warm feeling of being full.

Only then did he realize Sasuke had not left the room. He was seated in a straight back chair staring at Naruto. "What?"

"Itachi said I should hire you."

Naruto nearly barked a laugh. "As what?"

"I've been trying to fix up the place. Since the stock market crashed, I've been caring for my mother while selling produce in a stall in town. I was trying to expand but I need some help." Sasuke continued to stare, his gaze much like the photograph. "I can't pay you in coin but I can offer you a place to stay and food to eat. The harvest season is on me and I need the help."

Naruto swallowed the new lump in his throat. "I don't know anything about farming."

"I can teach you. What I really need is another set of hands to help with the harvest and planting. At least you're a sight bit better to look at than those vagrants roaming the countryside. Most look either half starved or unreliable."

Blinking, Naruto's gaze darted from his plate to meet Sasuke's gaze. The question swirling around in his mind demanded to be answered. It would determine his fate, though he had a niggling suspicion he would not like the answer he received. "Sasuke…can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"What year is it?" Naruto winced at the confused look on Sasuke's face. He sounded like an idiot asking such a question but the fear rolling through him demanded confirmation to what he already knew.

"It's September 3, 1935."

Naruto's chest contracted and he swallowed the lump in his throat. "1935?"

Sasuke frowned and moved towards the bed at Naruto's sudden pallor. "Is something wrong? Are you sick? Should I take you to the toilet?"

"I think I'm going insane." Naruto began to laugh hysterically. "I'm sitting here in 19-freaking-35. I'm talking to a dead man whose picture I bought from a crazy old man who turned out to be the guy in the picture only I'm sitting in that guy's house in 1935. I'd say something is fucking wrong."

Naruto covered his eyes with his hands and gave another, weak chuckle at the irony of his situation. He had longed for the man in the photograph. The longing felt upon staring at the photograph of Sasuke had been keen and stabbing. He had wanted to be with him and now here he was.

"Naruto? Should I call Itachi back?"

Naruto's eyes shot open. "No!"

The last thing he needed was for him to be institutionalized during this time period. Mental institutions were bad enough in present day. During this era, they were practically a death sentence and even if you weren't mad, you would be after spending any time locked away in one.

He needed to calm down. There had to be a way back to the future. He would simply recreate the situation of the previous night. All he had to do was wait for a thunderstorm and bam, he would be shot back to his life and everything would be fine again. Either that or he would be dead from a lightning strike. At this moment, he couldn't decide which was worse—being stuck here or being killed by lightning.

"I'm fine," he whispered. "The knock to my head made everything fuzzy for a moment, but I'm better now."

Sasuke didn't look convinced but nodded. "I'll check on you later."

Naruto curled into the covers and lay awake for a long time. His eyes stared into the room, watching the shadows grow and then darkness fill the room. A knock on the door drew him from his thoughts.

"Dinner is ready," said Sasuke. "Do you want to eat with me or would you rather I bring you something?"

Naruto wanted nothing better than to mope where he lay. Still, he needed to get up. If he was going to survive long enough to find another storm, he needed to push his whiny self back in the corner it belonged in. "I'll eat with you."

Naruto followed Sasuke into the kitchen. He was surprised at how neat and well organized it was considering his last time coming through was at the speed of light in his panic this morning. The smell wafting from the food was amazing. Several piece of fried chicken, baked corn, and flaky biscuits graced the table. It reminded him of the food he had eaten while living in Georgia with his grandfather.

Accepting a glass of water, he watched Sasuke eat. This was down home cooking, but judging from the way he ate, it was fine dining at its best. He cut into his chicken breast with a knife and fork and popped the food into his mouth to chew slowly.

"Damn, Sasuke…who are you trying to impress?" laughed Naruto, earning him a glare.

"How could one expect an uncouth vagrant like you to know how to eat with manners?" snapped Sasuke.

Naruto rolled his eyes and made a point to pick up his chicken leg with his fingers and bite deeply into the crispy crust and then the tender meat. "It's fried chicken, not filet mignon."

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Sasuke's scowl increased. It was then he decided to push him a little more and began to suck each finger to remove the juice of the meat from his fingers. The scowl intensified as per his intention. Naruto almost crowed with success.

"You're disgusting."

"And you're a prissy little man," Naruto shot back.

Sasuke turned his eyes to his plate, effectively ignoring Naruto. He continued to eat properly, obviously not willing to take their argument any further.

The remainder of the meal was completed in silence. Afterwards, Naruto helped Sasuke clean the plates and then followed him into the living room where a fire was once more lit. They settled into the twin chairs, Sasuke being the first to speak.

"The rain caused a chill to stick in the air," commented Sasuke. "I have some clothes and shoes you can wear when we are working on harvesting. If you feel up to it, I'd like to start tomorrow."

"I didn't say I was going to take your job offer," lied Naruto. What else was he going to do while stuck in this god forsaken time period? At least staying with Sasuke offered him a roof over his head and food in his stomach.

Sasuke's brow arched. "Well…are you?"

Naruto turned his gaze to meet Sasuke's expressionless face. "Since you asked so nicely."

There was a pause before Sasuke spoke. "I'll wake you for breakfast."

With that, Sasuke stood and strode from the room without another word. The only reminder of his departure was the faint scent of sandalwood hanging in the air.

His departure gave Naruto a moment to think. Sasuke wasn't anything like the old man with a sparkle in his eye. He was cold and calculating. Still, something about him called to Naruto. A part of him still longed to finally fill the emptiness in his soul.

Staring at the flames licking at dried pieces of wood, Naruto swallowed around the renewed thickness in his throat. "I best get back home before I do something stupid and fall for the creep," he muttered under his breath.

oOo

The next day, and those that followed, shown bright and sunny. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, much less rain the possibility of rain on the horizon. The work he did with Sasuke was hard and blisters had formed on his hands after the first day. It made him wonder how a prissy man like Sasuke could handle himself so well while enduring physical labor.

Prissy though he might be, he pulled more than his share of the duties and chores around the home and garden. It made the fact of Naruto's blistered all to hell hands an embarrassing situation.

Naruto sat in the bathroom with his hands under the cool water after the second day of work had him rupturing the blisters formed on the first day. The pain was more annoying than hurtful. The icy water running over his hands helped with the stinging pain but not with the embarrassment of it all.

"Naruto?" A knock sounded on the door. Sasuke. He was the last person he wanted to see.

"I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." Naruto groaned to himself and leaned his head on the cool porcelain of the wash basin.

There was a pause, and he was certain that Sasuke would leave. Instead, the knock came again. "Can I come in?"

Naruto panicked and shut off the water and grabbed the towel hanging on the rack. "I'm finished."

Sasuke opened the door and immediately his eyes fell towards Naruto's hands hidden behind his back. "What's behind your back?"

"My hands."

Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed and he stepped forward. "Don't get cute with me, idiot."

He made a grab for Naruto's arm but was evaded by a quick sidestep. "Damn it, Naruto. What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," whined Naruto and ducked another grappling attempt. "Just let me go."

"No." Sasuke reached forward again, this time latching firmly onto Naruto's arm and dragging it forward to reveal his towel wrapped hand. He pulled the towel away and stared mutely at the red and angry broken blisters.

"What's this?" Sasuke growled low in his throat. "Are you trying to get an infection?"

"What?" Naruto snapped. "I don't have to tell you a damn thing as long as I show up to work. What's a few blisters here and there?"

Sasuke shot him an annoyed look and opened the mirror above the sink to reveal several shelves of various toiletries and first aid. He plucked a bottle of tannic acid from a shelf along with some bandages. "Sit."

Naruto immediately took a seat on the toilet and watched as Sasuke sprinkled the power on his blisters. The powder burned, bringing tears to his eyes. He watched through watery vision as Sasuke then wrapped the palms of his hands in the white bandages before sitting back on his heels with a satisfied nod.

"This is tannic acid."

Naruto's eyes went wide. "You're putting acid on me?"

"Don't be a baby. This will help calluses form. It comes from tea."

Naruto pouted and stared at his bandaged palms. "Burns."

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt? We could have prevented it from getting to this point."

He shrugged. "Didn't want you to think me a pussy."

"You're an idiot."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Takes one to know one."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned to leave the bathroom. "Next time you're injured, tell me so we can treat it properly. And by the way, dinner's ready."

"Aren't you a good little housewife?" sniped Naruto.

No sooner had the words left Naruto's lips did Sasuke have him pinned to the wall, his face pressed so close to Naruto, their noses touched. "Don't you dare call me a woman. If we were married, it would be you taking it, not me."

Naruto blinked several times. Was he implying what Naruto thought he was implying? "Are you talking about sex?"

Sasuke blinked in time with Naruto. Red infused his cheeks, transforming the faintly flushed cheeks into a full on blush. The silence stretching between them was thick and unbreakable until Sasuke spoke. "No! I'm not talking about…sex."

The hands holding Naruto pinned to the wall released him as if burned. He turned on his heel and prowled down the hall towards the kitchen, leaving Naruto all sorts of flabbergasted. He stared after Sasuke wondering exactly what was going through his mind.

Dinner was a silent affair, not that to two conversed overly much, but there was some talk on occasion. Today the silence was like a giant elephant in the room. Both knew some sort of line was crossed, but neither wanted to bring it up.

"Hey…Sasuke—"

Sasuke shook his head. "Don't say anything."

"I'm okay with it…you know. I don't mind." He didn't want to say he swung that way too. It might be a little much for Sasuke. He would help him by just being supportive about his being a homosexual. The 1930s were not exactly the most tolerant time for those who were different. The Great Depression was enough of a deterrent to send people back to the church to find reasons why they were barely able to support their families and the Church was surely opposed to any relationship save that of the man-woman sort. Those deemed deviants in society were ostracized or worse.

Sasuke's dark gaze lifted from his meal and stared at Naruto. A small smile twisted the corner of his mouth and the peerless eyes softened for a moment. "Thanks."

Naruto grinned and relaxed at the atmosphere change from frigid to comfortable. "No problem."

oOo

Naruto sat staring out towards the setting sun. Over three weeks and no rain—not even the tiniest droplet. The sky was clear every day, barely having clouds at all. It made the autumn weather temperate but still frustrated him. If his window to return home didn't come soon, he was fairly sure he wouldn't be able to leave. Each day with Sasuke was amazing. The more time he spent with him, the less he wanted to leave. The lack of central heating and air amongst other modern conveniences were nothing compared to the feeling in his stomach when Sasuke smiled at him.

He had fallen for Sasuke. Everything about him was amazing—his smile, his body, his personality. When Sasuke allowed someone close, he was a different person. The frigid persona was discarded and a completely different person emerged. He was a person Naruto felt he could love for eternity. Every part of him screamed for Sasuke—his soul being the loudest.

"Fuck," he groaned and leaned his head against the wood.

"Something wrong?" asked Sasuke as he walked out onto the porch and took a seat at Naruto's side.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I just don't want to leave."

"Then stay. You can help me preserve what I don't sell in market and I'll sell that over the winter. Then when spring comes, you can help me plant." Sasuke smirked at Naruto. "There will always be something to do. With you around, I'll be able to nearly double the output without hiring someone I don't trust. It's a perfect partnership."

"I suppose." Naruto's gaze slid to Sasuke. "What would you say if I wasn't from here?"

Sasuke's brow arched into his hair line. "I think that's a given, Naruto."

"No…I mean, what if I was from the future?" Naruto's eyes flickered to meet Sasuke's gaze. "What would you say?"

"I would say you've been reading too much Jules Vern. Time travel isn't possible." Sasuke folded his arms across his chest. "It's a fantasy to occupy the mind, nothing more."

Naruto nibbled on his lip. "Well…let's speak in the hypothetical. Say it was possible, but say the person who traveled through time got stuck in the past and then didn't want to leave. Should he stay or should he try to leave anyway?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Well…according to books I've read…fiction books…they say that traveling back in time could change the timeline…or preserve it."

"What do you mean?"

"Naru…this is all fiction and you need to stop fixating on it. It's 1935, the future hasn't happened yet," said Sasuke with and exasperated look on his face.

Naru. Naruto frowned at the shortening of his name. He called him Naru. That was the name of the partner of Sasuke's who died. But…his name wasn't Uchiha. He distinctly recalled the newspaper referring to the partner as N. Uchiha.

"Why did you call me that?" Naruto's eyes were wide and his body inched away from Sasuke.

"Huh?" Sasuke cocked his head. "Why did I call you what?"

"Naru! Why did you call me Naru?"

Sasuke frowned and shrugged. "I liked the sound of it. Sorry. I'll call you Naruto from now on if you don't like it."

Naruto shook his head and brought his hands to fist in his hair. This wasn't right. He wasn't supposed to stay here. He had to leave.

"Naruto, what's wrong?"

"I'm leaving," said Naruto. He turned and walked into the house.

Sasuke's eyes went wide and he trailed after him. "Wait! What are you talking about?"

Naruto shook his head. "I'm not supposed to be here. That old man was…and then I met you…and I can't stay here. I have my job and the kids."

"Kids?" Sasuke's face grew hard and solemn. "You have children?"

"What?" Naruto jerked to a stop. "No…they aren't mine. I teach…math."

Sasuke's shoulders relaxed slightly. "You don't have to go. You can stay with me. I want you to stay with me."

"It's…just…I don't think I'm supposed to be here." Naruto leaned limply against the hall. "It hurts too much to stay."

It hurt to much to think on it. It hurt to think that he would wake up in 2011 and Sasuke would be dead. It didn't matter if he was young or old, it was still Sasuke. He didn't want to leave but he couldn't stay either. And that hurt more than anything in his life. His soul was being ripped to pieces over it. His constant thoughts of returning to the future were merely a way to keep from fixating on how much he desperately wanted to stay.

"What hurts?" asked Sasuke, his arm reaching out to grasp at Naruto's forearm.

Naruto lifted his eyes to Sasuke's. "Leaving you," he whispered.

Sasuke's eyes widened faintly. "W-What?"

Naruto pressed forward and quickly brushed his lips across Sasuke's parted mouth. The body before him stiffened and jerked away. Shock was written across Sasuke's features and in his dark eyes. It was enough of an answer for the question constantly swirling in his brain since the day he accepted that he was in the past and needed to quickly find a way home.

Naruto shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry."

As if to punctuate his words, a loud clap of thunder sounded in the background. The rattling of the house caused Naruto to jump and pull away from Sasuke's hand. "I…I think that's my cue."

Naruto turned to stare out the window at the flashing lightning and the sudden downpour of rain. This was his chance. If his suspicions were correct, all he had to do was go to the place where he first went through and something should happen to send him back. He would go back to his time…back to his lonely apartment and pittance job—back to a world with no Sasuke.

Naruto's jaw quivered under the strain. A world without Sasuke seemed a sad and lonely place to exist in. Sasuke would be dead and he would never see him again.

"Naruto, stop. What are you talking about?" Sasuke trailed after Naruto, stopping him just as he moved to step from the porch onto the now soaked ground. "You'll get soaked if you go out there."

"I have to leave now, Sasuke." Naruto's eyes misted and he stepped into the downpour to mask the tears rolling down his face. "I have to go home."

Naruto walked determinedly across the hill. His steps didn't falter until he neared what would one day become the sidewalk leading to his small apartment complex. Just a few steps and he would be back there.

It was hard to believe he had been here in 1935 for nearly a month. He wondered if time was the same there. Would he even have a job when he went back?

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted over the claps of thunder and the pouring rain. "Come back inside."

"I can't," replied Naruto. "I have to go back to 2011."

Sasuke frowned and swiped rain from his face. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm from the future. In a few years, another war is going to start. Japan is going to attack the United States. One day things called computers will be invented and people will do everything from pay their bills to watch pornographic movies in the comfort of their own home. " Naruto stared into Sasuke's eyes. "Homosexuals will one day be allowed to marry in California. And a lot of states are following in that example. Hell, I even imagine that soon the federal government will legalize gay marriage."

"How?" Sasuke shook his head. "I don't believe you."

Naruto sighed and lifted a hand to brush Sasuke's drenched bangs from his face. "You don't have to believe me for it to be true. You know it's true…you just don't want to believe it."

The storm seemed to increase in violence, the needle like shards of icy rain beating away at their bodies. It was as if the heavens were telling him of his need for haste. "Sasuke, I have to go. It's now or never."

Sasuke's hand gripped Naruto's shirt and pressed his face into his shoulder blades. "Don't leave. Stay with me. I don't care if you are from Mars or the future, just…stay with me."

Naruto's eyes widened and he turned to face him. "Sasuke—"

"Stay with me." Sasuke pressed forward, his frozen mouth pressing against Naruto's equally chilled lips. "Please, stay with me."

Naruto closed his eyes, his thoughts drifting back to the note wedged in the back of the portrait. I love you. Stay with me.

He could feel a tightening in the air around them. If he wanted to leave, he would need to let go of Sasuke. He would need to let go of the man who had some how wormed his way into his heart before he ever met him. Just the thought of ever letting go of Sasuke was too painful to ever imagine. It was almost shocking how easily the decision was.

"I can't believe I'm going to be an old man before I get to play a Playstation again," muttered Naruto as his arms went around Sasuke and he buried his face in his neck. "I'll stay."

The heavens gave one last might crack of thunder before the rain began to ease around them, leaving only the faintest of steam rising from the grass at their feet. The evening clouds parted and the twinkling of stars far brighter than any he had ever seen before appeared before him.

Sasuke shivered against him, or perhaps it was him shivering against Sasuke. Their bodies seemed so connected that he wasn't sure where one started and the other ended.

"Stay with me," whispered Sasuke against Naruto's lips. "I love you."

Naruto's eyes fluttered closed at the words. He could remember the moment he read the words scrawled across the paper and the longing to have them directed at him. Now he realized they were. They were always meant for him. The elderly Sasuke was meant to sell him that portrait. He had known who he was and known that Naruto would never have met him if not for the portrait, the letter, and the shadowy flicker of love touching his soul.

Naruto could only imagine the torture of standing there with a younger version of his lover and not being allowed to tell him everything for fear of ruining the chance of their lives crossing. Never before had he truly believed in soul mates. They were just something of fantasy but having been in the presence of both Sasukes, the old and the young, he knew without a doubt that the age meant nothing. Sasuke was the same and his soul had known it even if his mind didn't. If he had gone back home, he would have doomed himself to a life without the other half of his soul.

He kissed Sasuke back, his frozen hands stroking at the rain soaked hair. "I love you, Sasuke."

What they felt for each other was a never ending circle. They were the luck ones. They would continue to repeat their love through eternity.

**Author's Note:**

> Old story being posted here. It was written for a give-back campaign. If ya'll only knew the hassle I went through in editing this. I had it almost finished edited(and by editing, I mean doing some serious fluffing, adding and taking away paragraphs, not just grammar ), but I was doing so on the upload page of this site, so I didn't save anything and my cat walked across my keyboard and exited out of google and I lost all my edits so I had to start over. But anyway, I hope you like, this story has always been one of my favorites and it is in no way inspired by the movie Somewhere in time with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve. I mean, for one thing, that story has such a sad ending. The only similarities are a picture and time travel.


End file.
